A Forked Road
by mooty
Summary: A gifted Pokemon trainer with aspirations to become the Pokemon League Champion finds himself joining Team Magma, and going down the path of selfdestruction. Was he right?
1. Rewind

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

--

"_Why did you do this?"_

"_You could have done something else! Why take this path?"_

"_You made the wrong choice, my dear."_

"_Why would anyone want to do this to himself and be hated by everyone else for it?"_

_But then again, do you think I had a choice?_

--

**Chapter 1: **

When I was young, I was like every other person in school – I aspired to get all eight Pokemon gym badges, make the Pokemon League, and become the Champion. Except that I was at a better position to aspire for that dream. In school, I thumped everyone whether it came to Pokemon Theory Studies or when I attended the Pokemon Raising modules. Not that I worked especially hard to attain the status of being a 'pro' in school. Dealing with Pokemon just came naturally to me. Everyone said I was gifted.

Every year, the academy I worked with gave out prizes to the top in the sixth grade – a Pokeball with a relatively rare Pokemon inside. That was the best gift a sixth-grader could receive – he or she would have become ten years old, eligible for a Pokemon license and a world of fun battling Pokemon.

In the middle of my sixth-grade, I was told that the Pokeball already had my name inscribed on it. I tried to conceal my pleasure and pride. In the middle of classes, I would start scribbling training plans for any possible Pokemon that I would find in the Pokeball. As the months past, I had covered "plans" for all the Dragons and the typical Fire, Water and Grass starter Pokemon.

Sixth-grade ended, and I went up on the podium in front of the school to receive my Pokeball from the headmaster. Not that I had no idea what the Pokemon within was – I had had to rehearse that event from three weeks before. I would receive the Pokeball (with two hands, the teachers constantly reminded me), and I would press the release mechanism to reveal a cute male Pichu for the school to see and applaud, before returning it to its Pokeball and walking off.

That day, I was mobbed by half the guys in school (and even a few girls) about the Pichu.

"Boy, that Pichu sure looks cute!"

"What do you know? It will evolve into Pikachu and subsequently Raichu. Those aren't strong Pokemon!"

"Well, if you give it enough training and love, it will do well!"

"Let's see… Pichu is an Electric type! That means it's good against… um…"

"Water and Flying types! Honestly, Greg, you better brush up on your facts if you want to be a good trainer!"

"Who cares, Roy and his Pichu will thrash all of us! Congrats, Roy!"

What did they know about Pokemon? I thought as I walked home. Hmm… Pichu. I hadn't thought of a good training plan for it. I guess I'll have to spend the whole of tonight charting out tomorrow's exercise drills. For… Pikachu! Raichu! And for the Pokemon League!

--

_**mooty: **This may start off like a normal goody-goody story about a young kid's drive to being Champion, but the deviations from an Ash-like character starts next installment. You may already have picked up traces of Roy's character by now._


	2. Work

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

--

**Chapter 2: Work**

A flash of light – and the wooden block was lying on the floor, slightly darkened in some parts.

"That's good! Now let's try that Thundershock once more, shall we, Pichu?" I stepped forward, placed the wooden block standing again. "We have one hundred and seventy-two more Thundershocks to do before we get lunch. Okay?" Pichu looked at me cutely, before launching a Thundershock at its target. It was weak, but still stronger than two months ago, when I had just gotten it.

However, I still stayed away from trainer battles with the others. Gradually, everyone got a Pokemon, and enthusiastically, they wanted to fight with anyone they saw holding a Pokeball. How foolish! They would probably lose with their weak Pokemon, and display their weaknesses for everyone to see and take note. Me? I wanted to wait till my Pichu was evolved, and until there was absolutely no chance of it losing a battle, before I started challenging the rest. Unlike the others, I had my reputation to consider.

That time came soon enough. One hot afternoon just three months after I had gotten Pichu, I was feeding it (after it had done the required 500 Thundershocks as practice, of course), when it suddenly rolled on the ground playfully and started glowing mildly. I recognized that immediately: Evolution! I had made it happy, and that had earned me a Pikachu, with stronger attacks and greater speed!

Of course, there was still Raichu, the ultimate evolved stage, to look out for. I could evolve Pikachu with a Thunderstone, which I could easily get by dealing with those stone maniacs living in the hut on the beach, but I decided not to evolve Pikachu yet. Afterall, I could not risk the chance of other trainers spotting a Raichu with me and immediately start to be wary of my strength! I preferred to wait till an opportune time when I would be able to shock the rest by displaying my Raichu and sweeping the other trainers' Pokemon with it.

So, armed with my Pikachu, I decided to go into the Median Forest, north of the town. I had been there since I learnt to walk, but this would be the first time I made a conscious effort to hunt down Pokemon and catch them. Now that my Pikachu was strong enough, I supposed it could easily beat up those Pokemon to submission, making it easier for me to catch them.

After not three steps in the Forest, I heard a small whimper. A Wurmple stood at my feet, trudging slowly. I was about to get Pikachu to let loose with a paralyzing Thunderwave before hurling a Pokeball, when I noticed just how pathetic the worm looked, easily crushable and not likely to do much damage, even when evolved into its final form, Beautifly. _Roy, you are here to catch world-beating Pokemon! Why are you wasting your time on such Pokemon that won't bring you closer to your goal of winning the Pokemon League?_

Stepping on the Wurmple with a swift foot movement, I walked off, trying to look for Pokemon that could offer more. I was surprised to find that I did not feel any guilt.


	3. The Pikachu

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

Heh. Regarding the stepping of Wurmples, it is time the anime, manga, etc treated Pokemon like animals! I mean, I've not seen Pokemon being eaten (the various fish Pokemon) and Pokemon don't die, they just 'faint' to be recovered by a free service going on in every town called the Pokemon Center. That's the stuff of dreams, I reckon.

Regarding the question of the region this story is set in: I've thought about it. Using any of the three currently known regions (4 if you count Shinou) would restrict my naming of the towns or the Pokemon the heroes encounter in their travels, and that would need more research than preferred, so I'm probably going to leave it unnamed.

--

**Chapter 3: "The Pikachu"**

Pikachu's cheeks glowed orange-red. "Piii…ka…"

"Uh oh…" cried Louie. "He's launching another Thundershock! Mankey, dodge!"

Mankey jumped about frantically, hoping that he wouldn't be yet another victim of "The Pikachu", the Pokemon that children in the whole village most knew about and feared.

But Pikachu had disappeared.

Confused, Mankey walked around the place Pikachu had been, scratching his human-like head.

"No Mankey, away!" but Louie knew he was beaten. "Roy switched Pikachu out! He's – "

"Go, Nidorino!" I smirked triumphantly. KO.

Nidorino popped up right beside Mankey, who was still confused. The large purple rodentlike creature braced himself, aiming his horn at Mankey, at the same time defending its body from any weakness.

"Man? Keeeeeeeey!" Mankey noticed the Nidorino. He tried to kick at Nidorino, but failed.

"Horn Attack, Nido!" I shouted. The battle was mine! I hadn't even used my Charmander and Mudkip.

Nidorino sank his horn into Mankey's abdomen. Mankey fainted even before he hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Well, that was pretty one sided, wasn't it?" shouted a bespectacled guy watching from the sidelines that I didn't know. "And Roy is the winner! Again!"

"Man… Roy, you gotta give me a chance! I barely started with this Pokemon battling business!" moaned Louie, my best friend of eight years.

"Hmph. Get a better team first, Lou. I mean, Magikarp? That was practically target practice for Pikachu." A few people laughed, including Louie.

I walked out of the school playground, satisfied. I had spent weeks catching the newbies of my team, especially Charmander, which was rare in any place. But now, my efforts were clearly paying off, and after coming out of 'hiding', I won every battle I entered, building up an ever greater reputation in school.

As I walked into the school building, a girl walked beside me and said "Hi."

"Uh, hey Erika." That was weird. Girls never talked to me, especially a girl I didn't even know other than in passing. I started to walk slightly faster.

"Chill, Roy. Just wanted to say I watched your battle with Louie. That was great stuff! The strategies, the power. You must LOVE Pokemon a lot."

"Errr, yeah!" I flashed an unnatural grin. I had no intention of telling Erika about the countless times I had stepped on Bug Pokemon on purpose.

"Hmm. I am pretty new in Pokemon battling. Just want to ask if you can help me a litt.e We can meet up sometime and we can battle!"

_Why is my heart beating like that? _"I'd be happy to, Erika. Next Monday at my backyard?"

Erika smiled, and walked off. Wow, nice plaits. Wait, what is wrong with me?

Two pieces of news spread about a month later that suddenly made me the most stared-at in school. The first was the news about Erika and me going out with each other. The second was an upcoming region-wide "Pokemon Battling Meet for Youths". It was the first of its kind, and apparently would be made an annual affair. However, it was an interschool event, and the rules dictated that there would only be two representatives from each school. The school decided to hold a mini-battling competition to sieve out the top two battlers (even though I knew that the principal and teachers were pretty keen on me going out there to represent them, me being a model student).

The reactions of most students were unvaried.

"Wow… cool…"

"I'm so going to get out there and sweep the whole school with my Jigglypuff!"

"Isn't this the first time the school is holding anything to do with Pokemon battling?"

The day I heard about the competition, I rushed straight home after school, even forgetting a date I had with Erika. This was it. If I got in, I would be fighting the top battlers in my age group. If I somehow managed to win this… didn't they say a rare Pokemon would be the first prize?

Throwing my bag onto the ground, I took out my Pokeballs and dashed outside, releasing my Pokemon onto the grass.

"Pikachu, you fight Nidorino! Mudkip, run to that pond – 50 laps to and fro before coming back! Charmander, 50 push-ups!"

"Round 1, Game 13! We have Roy's Pikachu, Nidorino and Charmander versus Mike's Linoone, Rattata and Marill. Trainers, hands to your Pokeballs. In 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Two Pokeballs thrown in the air, two Pokemon landed on the cold concrete of the school hall. It was Nidorino against Linoone.

I smirked. I knew exactly what to do.


	4. And Louie?

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

And the usual replies to notable questions in reviews:

I know I have to work on the time lapses between chapters. Hmm. Doesn't seem as bad if, like me, you read each chapter separately. I guess readers will read this story from chapter-to-chapter.

And regarding Magikarp and Gyarados: I am aware that Gyarados is, shall we say, better than many Pokemon, despite Magikarp literally being a joke. That's the reason I had Louie, the kind-hearted trainer, have a Magikarp (I was about to go for Feebas but the Feebas line emphasizes more on beauty rather than power, so…). From this chapter you can see that Louie is going to go far. Who knows, maybe that Gyarados will go back to haunt Roy.

--

**Chapter 4: And Louie?**

The competition randomly divided all participants into two Blocks. The winners of both Blocks would get to represent the school in the said contest.

As one of eight competitors left in Block B, I needed to win three more battles to win this knockout competition. As It was, the battles I had yesterday, the opening day, had been easy, to say the least. Few trainers actually bothered to even evolve any of their Pokemon! And how did they think they would stand a chance in the Battling Contest with Zigzagoons and Wurmples?

I shook myself out of my thoughts. My focus now was strictly to obliviate Hernan, the trainer who had drawn me in the quarter-finals. I had heard he had a strong Growlithe, so I replaced Charmander with Mudkip.

As expected, he sent out Growlithe. My Mudkip would take care of that.

"Water Gun in its eyes, Mudkip! Full power!" the Growlithe got pushed back by the force, momentarily blinded and unable to move.

"Bubblebeam now!"

Too much water. Growlithe was lying limp on the ground. I could see Hernan getting queasy from the corner of my eye. I snickered. Yet another trainer who over-relied on one Pokemon. GG, Hernan.

I dispatched my opponents in the semi-final and final with the same ease as before, to a hug from Erika and wows from about half the school.

"And Roy is the expected winner of Block B, and will represent us in the PBCY!" cried someone from the megaphone stand. "But the final in Block A is still going on! Let's all go to the other side of the hall to watch the other favourite, Norman, take on Louie!"

"Louie? The guy I know?" I guided Erika to the makeshift arena of Block A. Sure enough, the small weedy boy I'd known since young was battling it out with the tall guy who everyone regarded as the second-best battler in school. Judging from Louie's pained expression, I could tell just who was losing.

"So… Norman still has a Slugma other than his Sandshrew in play, but Louie just has his Beautifly left! Your move, Louie!"

"Beautifly, Sliver Wind!" Beads of perspiration trickled down the cheek of the rapidly-thinking Louie.

"Sandy, finish that bug off. Slash!" Norman was sneering.

"Dodge, Beautifly – Confusion!"

Sandy lay stationary on the ground, and a whistle blew. Chants of "One on one!" and "Sudden death!" rang across the hall. Irritated, Norman blasted the Pokeball containing Slugma onto the arena, releasing the Fire Pokemon. "Eat this! Ember!"

"Silver Wind!"

This time, a ripple rose through the crowd, and even I found myself questioning Louie's tactic: "A Bug Move against the Fire type Slugma?"

But a collective gasp followed soon after: the Silver Wind attack had apparently blown the Ember back to Slugma, causing slight damage.

"Confusion while you're at it, Beautifly!" Beautifly flew down to Slugma's level, flying circles around it. Slugma started spinning unsteadily, producing random Embers that hurt itself.

"What the – " Norman had stopped smiling the moment he realized this would not be a sure-win battle. "Slugma, try another Ember!"

"Stun Spore!" And Beautifly was faster once more, intoxicating Slugma with paralyzing spores.

"The battle timeout is to be over about now! And the referee…" At this time, the referee blew twice successively on his whistle. Norman and Louie withdrew their one remaining Pokemon apiece, hostile eyes set on each other as they awaited the result from the referee.

The referee was suddenly the most 'popular' guy in school. Clearing his throat, he spoke up: "There is no competition here. Both of them have one Pokemon apiece. Norman's had a type advantage to Louie's, but when the battle was ended prematurely, his Slugma was both Paralyzed, Confused, and was dying. Therefore, Louie is the Block A Champion."

Such calm as he spoke those words, yet such frenzy going on in the crowd standing outside the arena. Norman walked off without saying a word, pushing a few juniors to the side in frustration. Louie followed suit, except for a thin smile on his face.

His right hand was still clutching the Pokeball containing Beautifly.

--

Argh. I'm not too good in describing battles. Chapter 5 will bring us to the Battling Contest!


	5. Who is that man?

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

A long chapter, at last. And now there are other enthusiastic budding youth trainers, as well as evil and mysterious guys. Enjoy, and review!

--

**Chapter 5: Who is that man?**

"Ooh! This event looks well-decorated – that must be a hundred balloons hung all around the stadium! And is that a carnival?" Louie was practically jumping up and down in his seat in the taxi.

"Louie, would you mind keeping the volume down? I'm thinking." I was, in fact, simulating a battle between myself and a potential Ground Pokemon user.

"So, if Pikachu can't be used… and Nidorino will also stand little chance against Ground Pokemon – "

"Oh boy! Roy, what time is it? Can't wait for the opening ceremony at 6pm!"

Snarling at Louie, I felt in my left pocket for my PokeNav. But it was the wrong pocket – I felt only a warm, pulsing sensation coursing through my fingers.

Of course. The Thunderstone.

_I took a step in. There he was, a hunchback figure sitting at a small messy table, magnifying glass in hand. He was inspecting a small brown stone, brushing off the dust with an ice-cream stick he held in his other hand._

"_Ooh, a visitor. Why don't you sit here while I, um, finish up what I'm doing here." I attempted a smile, and took a seat on a dusty armchair in a corner of the room. I forced myself to be patient, however long the guy took: it was I who required his services, not the other way round. _

_Fifteen minutes later, the man stood up, placing the brown stone in an airtight bag, fitting it on a shelf just next to the table – I could see stones of many different shapes, sizes and colours on that shelf, and my heart skipped a beat. Somewhere in that pile…_

"_Well, my young gentleman over here. I deduce that you require a stone. For Pokemon? Or are you simply an avid collector of rare stones, like me?" The stone maniac was now standing over me._

"_Hello, sir. Um, I have a Pikachu, and…"_

"_I see. A Thunderstone is what you require?" I nodded faintly, suddenly realizing the consequences of what I was doing. My closest and main Pokemon was about to change its appearance permanently._

"_Fortunately, that is no problem at all. Let's see… Thunderstone. The yellow one with the thunderbolt pattern, huh?" He walked back to the shelf. A few moments later, he produced a transparent sealed bag. Inside was a Thunderstone._

"_And there we have it, brother. 500 Pokedollars – you'll find that's the cheapest rate in town. If you're not sure how to use these stones to evolve your Pokemon, I can demonstrate by using it on your Pikachu, for no additional cost. I enjoy helping you rookie trainers!"_

_Me, a rookie trainer? But indeed, I had no idea how to use the Thunderstone I had just purchased. On the other hand… perhaps I did not need a Raichu now. I could save it for the battle I really needed it for. And I would want to evolve my Pokemon **myself**. _

"_No thanks, sir. I would like to do it myself at home. Here's your 500 Pokedollars, I'll come back if I need more stones." I walked out, placing the Thunderstone in my left pocket._

"Um, Roy, we're here." Louie nudged me. I took out my wallet hurriedly and paid half the taxi fare. Grabbing my backpack, I exited the taxi.

"Woah. So this is the stadium." Louie could not help his excitement yet again. He was always like that, never keeping his calm. That was probably his main flaw when battling Pokemon, too.

The Regional Pokemon Stadium had been built just two years ago. The government, intending to place more emphasis on our region as a global Pokemon battling hub, had planned for this stadium for championships and competitions to be played here. It was larger than any building I had ever seen or imagined. It was almost spherical in shape – you guessed it, the shape of a Pokeball. I could see trainers streaming in.

"Let's go, Louie. The opening ceremony must be anytime now."

We entered the stadium. There were hundreds of people – but I could see most were just there to view battles. There was an enormous circular platform in the center of the stadium – that must be where the battles were held. Walking around, I counted about ten teenagers who had Pokeballs on their belt. They looked pretty tough.

"Oh, you guys must be competitors! Hi!" Somebody slid beside us, sporting a cheerful grin and a green backpack.

"Hi! My name is Louie, this is Roy! We're both from the same school, and we're both eleven." Louie was always the person to speak up.

"I'm Gordon. I'm eleven too. I hail from Kitamo." I couldn't help noticing his Pokeball belt – he had five Pokeballs. Hmm… I only had four. Would I lose out if I were to battle him?

"I just hope I'm not late! Look, the spectators are all seated already! Let's find where the Youth competitors are supposed to gather."

"Here, nitwit. You're late." A voice called out from the front, near the platform. Gordon looked around, and apparently found his friend. He ran forward sheepishly, and we followed. Indeed, there were almost twenty chairs at the front, and most were already occupied by enthusiastic teenagers who were talking amongst themselves. Louie and I grabbed seats next to Gordon and his friend.

"I know I'm late, Pat. Traffic jam. Oh, I almost forgot: this is Louie, this is Roy. Guys, this is Patrick, from Kitamo too." Louie smiled; I gave a small wave. This Patrick had five Pokeballs too.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a well-dressed man had mounted the platform, holding a microphone with him. We all faced him, eager for the competition to start. "It is my honour to kickstart the first ever Battling Competition for our youth! But before I embark on my long rambling speech about Pokemon - " several of the crowd laughed. "- it gives me great pleasure to signal that the Guest of Honour, Mr. Gamma, has arrived!"

We turned our eyes to the main entrance. A bald man in a tuxedo and red-tinted sunglasses had arrived, flanked by two bodyguards, to a smatter of applause. It was clear that nobody knew this guy. He took a seat at the back row, which was obviously reserved for him and his bodyguards.

"In case some of you do not know him, Mr. G was the main sponsor of this competition. He has a great interest in the battling youth of today, having been a great trainer in his youth himself! And now for my speech…"

The opening ceremony continued. But I couldn't stop thinking about the guy in red sunglasses. Who was he? And what kind of a name is Gamma?

_In a large blue ship approaching the region:_

"So… chief, we begin tomorrow?"

"That would be great. And the world shall know the wonders of the sea!"

"Hahahaha!"


	6. The Real Beginning

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

Sorry for delay. Hope you enjoy Round One.

--

**Chapter 6: The Real Beginning**

The night was spent in luxury – it was rather generous for the competition planners to provide competitors with rooms in the nearby 5-star hotel at no cost – although Louie, my roommate, was being his irritating self again.

While I was flipping through my notebook, a collection of observations regarding battling that I had made throughout the months of being a trainer, Louie was bouncing up and down on his bed excitedly.

"Roy, I really can't believe I got into this competition. I mean, I'm rather a rookie trainer, unlike you…"

At the two words 'rookie trainer' I felt a weight in my left pocket, reminded of my visit to the stone maniac and the Thunderstone. Then I saw my Pokeball belt lying on the bedside table. Should I evolve my Pikachu? In case my opponent in the first round was already tough and the limited powers of Pikachu were not able to cope with my opponent's Pokemon.

"Oh, look at the time, man! It's already 11pm. Let's get to bed, Roy. The first-round matches are at 7.30 tomorrow morning. Wish you luck!" he turned off the lights.

I mumbled something in return, and pretended to sleep.

For the first time in my life, I felt queasy.

Next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel before crossing the road to the stadium. My plan was to make a beeline for a notice-board the competition planners had put up near the platform. They had said that the pairings for the first round battles would be out.

A few competitors were already crowding around the notice-board – two male competitors were even on the stage having a Pokemon battle. I felt nervous, and chided myself for not having woken up earlier to train. My Mudkip was still unable to produce a consistently strong Bubblebeam.

I got a glimpse at the pairings, and spotted my name under "Battle 4", paired with someone called Bowyer. Louie was in Battle 1, set to battle some called Kelpsy.

Think. Must think.

What do I do when my first Pokemon has a type disadvantage against my opponent's?

Specifically, the two Pokemon on the arena (which was being closely watched by spectators and other competitors) were my Nidorino and Bowyer's Kadabra.

Anyone knows that Psychic type trumps Poison.

Still, I had to give my Nidorino a go.

"I want Horn Attack, Nidorino!" Nidorino had a first strike against Kadabra. Nidorino went for Kadabra's abdomen, as per my constant instruction during practice battles. A book I had read told me that the abdomen of Pokemon were their weak spots.

"Psybeam, Kadda!" Bowyer was smiling confidently. Hmph. One of those trainers who thought that type advantage was everything. I will show him! By winning that Kadabra using Nidorino.

Nidorino had recovered from that Psybeam. "Move quicker on your feet! Dodge all the Psychic attacks Kadabra throws at you! Start running circles around Kadabra!" Nidorino complied, and Kadabra, confused, was soon throwing out misguided Psybeams that missed Nidorino by a few metres. Nidorino, however, was soon tiring out. It was time for the kill.

"Nidorino, a Peck! This time right in the middle of its head! Keep doing that!"

Nidorino, fast as ever, pushed the rapidly-concentrating Kadabra to the ground, and attacked its forehead with swift movements of his own head. Kadabra moaned continuously, and eventually became limp. Sighing, Bowyer recalled it.

"Go, Magnemite! Sonic Boom!"

Wow. That was a fast attack. Nidorino slumped to the ground, exhausted.

"Well done, Nidorino! Back to the Pokeball! And now we have Charmander!" The red fiery Charmander landed right beside Magnemite – throwing Pokeballs with precision and accuracy to land where I wanted them to land had been part of the training I undertook, and it was paying off.

"Spread a ring of Embers around the Magnemite!" I wanted that Magnemite to stay where it was. Magnemite crashed around blindly, getting damage from Charmander's Embers.

"Magnemite, use Sonic – "

"Charmander! An Ember to finish him off!"

But Charmander did not seem to be listening; in fact, he was now bathed in a warm glow of light. "Evolving!" "Gonna become a Charmeleon!" "Is that Pokemon actually evolving in a battle?" was what I heard from the crowd. Nobody had expected something like this to happen, and the hall was suddenly abuzz with noise, much to my pleasure. But I did not waste any time: I could not.

"Charma – err, Charmeleon! Ember?" But Charmeleon had other ideas: it let rip with a burst of fire from its scorching hot throat. It hit Magnemite squarely between its small beady eyes. KO.

Was that Flamethrower? And how would it have learned that so early? Bowyer sent out a Totodile this time, but Charmeleon was suddenly all over it, piercing its rough skin with a burst of energy: a Slash? Totodile was dispatched, this time with no directions given from me. Bowyer's Weepinbell was Flamethrower fodder in about 15 seconds.

I had won my first match.

"That was pretty good, Roy! Now we're BOTH through to the quarter finals!"

"Yeah yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't spent the past few hours bragging about your win." Louie had dispatched Kelpsy pretty easily, even finding time during battle to let his Magikarp have a run.

Still in the stadium, last row of chairs:

"That guy's pretty good."

"Well, Charmeleon practically won the battle by himself, sir."

"This is the first Charmeleon I've seen that has mastered Flamethrower and Slash straight after evolution. Says pretty much about the skill of that trainer."

"I have got to agree, sir. And the way he maneuvered that Nidorino against a Kadabra intent on Psybeaming Nidorino to hell… that was some touch."

"I daresay he might just grow up to be a better battler than I have."

"So, sir, are you going to make a move for him?"

"I will wait and see. If he goes all the way to the Final, I will contact him. For all we know, he might just have had a lucky battle. That Bowyer guy doesn't seem strong, after all, and made many mistakes during that battle."

Ring ring.

"Hello? Is that G65? Flood? … Two cities claimed so far… Very well. We'll have to mobilize the Admins to take care of this matter. Contact A98, he'll know what to do."

Click.

"What did G65 want?"

"Sir, Aqua has made their move one day before we thought they would strike. They're causing havoc and flooding the region – two coastal cities have been washed, and a third is about to be flooded as well."

"You will do well to go back to HQ to assist the Admins, then. I will be staying here till the end of the competition: it would not look nice if the Guest of Honour is found missing after just Round One."

The Head Admin stood up, bowed to Mr. Gamma, and strode out of the stadium.

--

My chapters just keep getting longer. This, um, won't be Roy's last evolution. And if he answers that burning question in his heart, it won't even be his second-last.


	7. Nerdboy

**A Forked Road**

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

My chapters just keep getting longer.

--

**Chapter 7: Nerdboy**

The next morning was wasted interacting with the other competitors over breakfast in the hotel. I had wanted to rush to the stadium and check out the pairings as usual, but Louie wanted to listen to every single competitor's story of the battle they had fought the day before.

Half the competitors, all eight of yesterday's losers, were set to go home after breakfast. I wondered if I would be doing the same tomorrow morning. _What if my opponent had a type advantage against me? What if I goofed up? What if my Pokemon refused to listen to me?_

Just then, a weedy bespectacled boy ran into the hotel, panting. He held a notebook in his right hand, a ballpoint pen in the other. To my surprise, he started staring at me and taking down notes feverishly, while leaning on the wall.

"Um, who is that guy?" I turned to Gordon, who, after much interacting with the other competitors, knew everyone pretty well. "He can't be a competitor right? He has no Pokeball belt, for one, and he looks too… inept! Is he a reporter some school sent here?"

"Oh, that guy. He IS a competitor," said Gordon, to my surprise. "His name is Trevor or something like that. Wait, I'll leave him to his schoolmate to describe. Kelpsy! Kelpsy! Someone wants to know about the Trevor guy!"

The person who Louie had beaten yesterday came to our table, before looking at Trevor leaning by the wall (apparently still taking down notes while looking at me every now and then) and snorting. "That's Nerdboy. Goodness knows how HE's in the competition – I have a suspicion that he got in purely through currying favour with the teachers, who adore him and his work attitude." Kelpsy laughed, before continuing. "He doesn't really have Pokemon with him, but he has a collection of many Pokemon! Apparently, he researches his next opponent before choosing Pokemon that can best counter his opponent's Pokemon. I know, that's cheap of him. But… it HAS won him a resounding victory yesterday."

My heart sank. I muttered my thanks to Kelpsy, before dashing off to the stadium. The area around the noticeboard was not crowded today, probably due to the halving of the number of competitors. I ran up to it, scouring it for my name. There it was:

**Battle 3**

TREVOR vs ROY

I wasn't surprised. I sat on the edge of the battling platform and began to think. So, he would make a counter team for my team? And what types would he use?

Louie had been paired with Patrick in Battle 2, and he managed a narrow win over the guy we had befriended two days ago, his Trapinch saving the day with a string of nicely executed Bites and Faint Attacks. As they shook hands and walked off the platform, I smiled at them even though I could feel my lips going cold and numb, and walked up the steps as calmly as I could. Trevor was already on the opposite end.

"Trevor versus Roy! Trainers, you know the rules. On the count of three – "

_He would use Ground Pokemon against me, I am sure of that._

"Three! – "

_It was the best type to counter a team like mine. _

"Two!"

_I would have to use – _

"ONE!"

"Mudkip!"

"Gloom!"

_WHAT?_

"It was a double-bluff, Mr. Roy. And you are dead meat." Trevor's eyes glinted through his thick horn-rimmed glasses. "Gloom, Stun Spore!"

I was too surprised to counter with any move of my own. Mudkip received the full brunt of Stun Spore, and trapped by the pricks of the offending spores, lay where it was, unable to struggle.

"And go in for the kill! A Mega Drain to sap all the energy of that pesky mudfish!"

Mudkip had no chance. I recalled it. This was the earliest my Pokemon had ever died. I was suddenly reminded of all the bluffs and slow cruel deaths I had played on my opponents. Now… I had to pull a bluff of my own, and flirt with the limits of the battling rules.

"Go on, summon a Pokemon!" Trevor sneered in an irritating way. I stood there calmly. Meanwhile, Gloom was prancing around in a small victory jig.

"Wait. You must have other Pokemon! Send them out, or I win – "

I threw a Pokeball high in the air. It was time to place all my trust on the brains of my chosen Pokemon.

The release mechanism of the Pokeball operated while in midair. Charmeleon was in the air.

Gloom noticed Charmeleon, and attempted to shower spores on it. Charmeleon, being in the air, had the advantage in speed, and dodged the spores, while firing a Flamethrower with precision. At the flower on Gloom's head.

Charmeleon finally landed on the arena with a 'thump'. At the same time, Gloom's flower burnt out. Gloom tottered around the arena unsteadily, before losing its balance and falling off the platform.

Irritated, Trevor released another Pokeball from his belt. "Earthquake!" A Sandslash popped up and began shaking the platform with immense rigor.

"Jump and Flamethrower the ground, toward Sandslash!" I had faith in the power of Charmeleon. But would my brazen strategy pay off?

Charmeleon had let rip with a belch of fire that split the wooden arena cleanly into two. Combined with Sandslash's Earthquake, the center of the arena was practically disintegrated, and there was a huge hole in the middle.. Sandslash, having stayed on the ground all the while, was the first to plunge into the darkness below the arena. A loud crash below – Sandslash was history. But Char –

"Return, Charmeleon!" just as Charmeleon was about to suffer the same fate as Sandslash.

There were now no Pokemon in play. Trevor looked at me with a collected expression, as if waiting for me to send a Pokemon out before he decided what to send out. It was time for another prank.

"Go, Nidorino!"

"Magneton!'

The crowd gasped. My 'Nidorino' was actually Pikachu, and I avoided suffering the fate of hitting harmless Poison attacks against the Steel type Pokemon. But it was now Electric versus Electric – who would break the deadlock, and what would spark it?

"Magneton, Charge!" Magneton remained stationary, but I knew it was charging up electric power enough to kill Pikachu in one hit.

"Pikachu, pounce on Magneton – Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu had the speed required to pull off my gambit. It dived onto Magneton and let loose the energy coursing through its radiant cheeks. The Charge from within Magneton lent energy to the attack, and what was supposed to be a Thunderbolt split Magneton into three pieces, destroying the 'glue' holding the three Magnemite together as one Magneton.

This was something nobody in the stadium had ever seen in their lives, and they displayed that through the noise they make.

"Why do Roy's battles always end up so exciting?"I could hear Louie shouting over the noise.

But Trevor was not done yet. "Um, Magnemite! Magnemites! Launch Tackles on that Pikachu!"

Pikachu was fast, but it could not dodge all three attacks closing in on it. One Magnemite hit the target – Pikachu got thrown off the platform.

_Pikachu couldn't even take one hit? _"No problem! Charmeleon!" And there he was again. One lash of its fiery tail on the split arena almost melted the three Magnemite. In any case, they were unable to battle.

Trevor was down to his last Pokemon.

"Go!"

Charmeleon pounced on the Pokeball and lashed it with its tail at once. But the Pokemon that emerged from within was almost unaffected.

"Kabutops, Body Slam!"

I should have known. A Water and Rock type Pokemon, with a double resistance to Fire. Trevor had made sure his last Pokemon gave Charmeleon a challenge.

Kabutops slammed into Charmeleon with stunning velocity. Charmeleon was strong, but the previous battles had weakened him greatly. It slumped to the ground – the fire flaring on its tail still burned, but the flame was now smaller.

Thrusting my only remaining Pokeball onto the arena, I shouted: "Nidorino, Fury Swipes all around Kabutops!"

Nidorino dashed around Kabutops, clawing at it viciously. Kabutops attempted Body Slam, but it was puzzled and lost sight of Nidorino, thus slamming itself onto the floor.

"Horn Attack!" Everybody that knew me knew that this was the trademark finishing move of my Nidorino. Nidorino jumped up into the air, and dived into the petite body of Kabutops, causing a dent in Kabutop's mid-body with its rock-hard horn.

Trevor took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, before walking down the steps of the destroyed arena, leaving his fainted Pokemon where they were. I was later told that he did not want to keep losing Pokemon.

_Stadium, Last row of seats:_

"Once again, not a textbook strategy, but it has earned him success yet again."

"He has done the best with his Charmeleon, it is certain."

"He seems to have an aptitude for raising Fire Pokemon, especially. He knew just which parts and which moves of Charmeleon to use in different situations."

"I assume that you will be approaching this boy?"

"I already have, through one of my grunts. The boy will be presented with a Moon Stone. If he is smart, he will do well to evolve that battle-winner, Nidorino, into a Nidoking. Ground Pokemon are also our forte, as you know."

"But you will be having a little talk with him in person?"

"I will bide my time. You know those kids – always so goody-goody and principled. At the mention of us "evil" organizations, they cringe, and they pledge to defeat us when they grow up. No, my job of persuading this boy to join us… will be made easier when he has heard of the news."

"What news – ah. So his city is indeed one of those affected?"

"The very first to be struck, in fact. And I know a lot about his life – how he has a family whom he loved so dearly, and about his girlfriend, who had brought excitement to his dull life. When I tell him of his loss… he would HAVE to agree with me and do as I say."

"Your strategy is sound, Maxie."

"Hush. I am known as Mr. Gamma in this place."

--

Lots of the plot was revealed in this chapter! Not that plenty of hints hadn't been given in previous chapters. Now you know that Mr. Gamma Maxie, you might just be able to spot an anagram in 'Gamma'…


End file.
